Swivel connector



Dec. 4, 1956 F, C, A, UND 2,772,902

SWIVEL CONNECTOR Filed Aug. 20, 1952 SWIYEL CONNECTOR Franklin C. A. Lind, Randolph, Minn. Application August 20, 1952, Serial No. 305,447

5 Claims. (Cl. 287-91) This invention relates to-a swivel connector and more particularly to a dual magnetic and mechanical swivel device.

It is often desired to use a swivel connection between two opposed elements, such as between a fish line and the connection with a lure, where the rotation of one of therelements will exert as small a torque or4 rotative influence as possible upon the other. Ball and roller bearing swivels, socket linkages, chain connections and many other similar low friction devices have been proposed. Often, however, even the most elaborate and expensive of these proposed swivels will not have suffiL ciently low friction for the purpose required. Then, too, the more the friction isreduced in these prior art devices, the more delicate becomes' the structure and as a conse quence the opposed elements under tension may break or damage the working parts of the swivel. Furthermore,

nited States Patent() complicated and delicate mechanism,y such as has been previously proposed for low friction swivels, may become clogged or rendered sluggish by dirt and grit thus losing the .very advantage claimed for the low friction connection.

It is an important object of my invention to provide a cheap and simple swivel connector which will be rugged and have normally lowfriction against transmitted torque under strong tension while atV the same time possessing an extremely low frictional resistance against transmitted torque under a lesser tension.r

It is a further object of the invention to provide a swivel connector in which one part will magnetically connect through low rotativerresistancewith another part and may further mechanically connect with the other part to prevent separation of the parts under stress.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a low friction swivel which can rapidly and thoroughly untwist lines having opposed `ends attached to theswivel while under no tension or moderate tension and which can also operate conventionally to untwist the lines even though under strong tension. p

These and other objects and advantages of my inventionwillmore fully appear from the following description made VVin connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which: v

Fig. 1 is aV side view of my'swivel connector lwith the ends of two lines secured thereto in opposed relation under mild tension and a portion of the body cut away in vertical section to better show the relationship of the internal parts; and

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of an al-ternate form of the swivel device showing the relationship of the internal parts with the opposed lines under strong tension.

Referring now to the drawing, my swivel connector comprises a magnetic element indicated generally at 10 and a magnetic cooperating element indicated generally at 11. The magnetic element 10 may comprise a body member 12 preferably of cylindrical section which is Y in either event.

2,772,902 `Patented Dec. 4, 1956 C le@w secured within a casing 13 which has at one end thereof a projecting bearing portion 14. The casing 13 and its projecting portion 14 is preferably constructed of nonmagnetic material. Means for attachment suchas the eye hook 15 is `secured to one end'of the body 12V and an article such as a fish line 16 may be tied thereto. A groove 17 formed in the lsurface of body 12 may be supplied for preventing lengthwise movement of the body within the casing 13. A corresponding depression 18 may thus be formed in the casing -to prevent such movement. Disposed at the rend of the body 12 opposite the eyehook 15 .is a bearing surface 19. Anon-magnetic plate 20 may be positioned over the bearing surface 19 and has a conical opening 21 therethrough so as to expose but a small central area of the bearing surface 19. The portion 14 forms a housing for theV cooperating magnetic element 11 which may be formed in the shape of 'a spindle having a point 22 and a knob-like body portion 23 to which is attached axially a shank 24 terminating in an eye hook 25V to which may be attached in turn anotherarticle such as a fish' leader 26 or directly to fish'lure (not shown).

Referring to Fig. 2, an alternate form of my invention is shown in which the cooperating magnetic elements 11 and 11a are two in number and are attracted towards the magnetic element 10 at each end thereof, the polarity being opposite but` the attracting power being equivalent In the latter alternative form another bearing surface 19a is formed at the end of the body 12 opposite the bearing surface 19 and a non-magnetic plate 20a maybe similarly positioned over the bearing surface 19a. In my alternative form the articles 16 and V26 are both attached to the magnetic cooperating elements or spindles 11 and 11a instead of one being attached to a spindle and the other attached t'othe magnetic body Vas in the first form shown.` i

In the operation of my swivel connector the articles 16 and 26 are oppositely attached Ito their respective eye hooks 15V and 25 and a relative rotating motion given thereto as is in the case of a fish lure which rotates while being drawn through lthe water or While ncasting from a spinning reel in whichthe line stripsV axially from the spool.` ,if the articles` 16 and 26 are placed under no tension or moderate tension the spindle point 22 ywill remain in bearing contact with the bearing surface 19 of the magnetic body 12. One or the otherof magnetic elements 10 or 11 may be a permanent type magnet or they may be both permanent magnets. The cooperating element 11 rotates almost without friction with respect to the magnetic element 10 until such time as a Agreater tension is placed Iupon the lines 16 and 26.' Thus, if the magnetic attraction between the spindle 11 and the body 12 is overcome,'the curved rear surface of the spindle body 23 will come in contact with the projecting bearing portion 14 with the shank 24 moving slightly outwardly through the reduced opening 27 which is axially disposed through the bearingportion 14. it may readily be seen thatthe curved surface of spindle body 23 will continue to have arotativel movement with respect to the magnetic element 10, eve'nfthough no longer in contact withfit; Furthermore, the tension between lines 16 and 26 may be increased within limits of the structural strength of my swivel. All the while, of course, there is a relative rotative engagement between the lines 16 and 26, the advantages of the low friction bearing being partly lost in the latter case however. j

The operation of the alternate form shown in Fig. 2 is similar to that above described. Now, however, instead of magnetic element 10 being secured to the line 16 the spindle 11a is so secured. It may be seen that both lines 16 and 26 may rotate in the same or opposite 3 directions without necessarily causing the vrotation of theV magnetic Velement 10. The projecting bearing portion 14a functions in the same manner with respect to thespindle 11a as does its counterpart, bearing `portion .14 with its corresponding spindle It may thus ,be seen that I Vhave devised a novel swivel connector which has vhigh utility in allowing relative rotation between two connected articles `.vvith an absolnte minimum of friction therebetween while at the -saine time providing .for a swiveling action of `a kless delicate .nature underhigher tension which .will still `be comparable to the conventional swivels presently known to me.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may .be mad@ in the form .details arrangement and kartawrorls .0f the parts VWitlflout 1er ..=;1rti.1.1gYtrQm the .Scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

l. A swivel connector for joining Yin relatively rotatable relation ltwo articles such'as a fishline and a fish lure which comprises Ya body Vhaving a fastener ,at one end and a `bearing surface at the other end, a spindle having an elongated and reduced shank with a fastener at one end and `a bearing point at the opposite end thereof, at least one of said spindle bearing `point and said body being magnetized and ithe other -being constructed of magnetically Aattractable material, the spindle bearing point and the body bearing surface normally being in low friction rotative bearing contact, casing means attached to said body and surrounding said spindle in close clearance therewith and in opposed relation with respect to the spindle bearing point at the elongated and reduced shank, whereby, upon .divergently pulling the respective fasteners of the body and vof the spindle, the spindle bearing point and the bearing surface will be separated and the casing and the spindle -will be brought into rotative bearing engagement.

2. A swivel connector for joining in .relatively rotatable relation two articles such as a fishline and a fish lure comprising a magnetically attractable body 'having a fastener at one end for securing to one of said articles and a bearing surface at the other end thereof, a magnetically attractable cooperating element having a bearing surface at one end, a bearing point at the other end thereof 'and a fastener connected adjacent .the cooperating element bearing surface for securing to the other of said articles, at least one of said bearing point and said body bearing surface being permanently magnetized and normally in magnetic bearing contact with the other, said respective fasteners being youtwardly opposed, and means closely encompassing the cooperating element and secured to the body, said means being engageable with the bearing surface of said cooperating element for maintaining relative rotative bearing contact when the cooperating element point and the body bearing surface are urged apart by opposed pull on said fasteners.

3. A swivel connector for joining in relatively rotatable relation two articles such as a fishline and a fish lure comprising a magnetically attractable body `having a fastener at one end and a bearing surface at the other end thereof, a magnetically attractable spindle having a bearing surface at one end, a bearing point at the other end thereof and a fastener connected adjacent the spindle bearing surface, at least one of said spindle point and i- .Said body .bearing .Surface being permanently .nagnetized and normally in magnetic bearing contact, said respective fasteners being in outwardly opposed relation, and means closely encompassing the spindle and projecting from said body, said means being engageable with said spindle bearing surface for maintaining relative rotative bearing contact when the spindle pointand the body bearing surface are separated against magnetic attraction by divergent pull on said fasteners.

4. A swivel connector for joining in Vrelatively r0- tatable relation two articles such as a fishline and a fish lure comprising a magnetic first Velement having attachment means for securing to one of said articles, a magnetically attractable relatively rotatable second element normally in axial engagement at its forward end with the forward end of said magnetic lirst element and having attachment means in divergently opposed relation to the iirst mentioned attachment means for securing to the other of said articles, and a projecting member secured to one of said first and second elements extending around and to the rear of at least a portion of the other of said elements and normally in close Aclearance therewith, whereby said elements will be maintained in magnetic bearing relation under normal tensions applied between said articles fand the respective attachment means, and will be separated against magnetic attraction and move into bearing engagement between said projecting member and said other of the first and second elements on application yof divergent forces between kthe respective attachment means greater than the magnetic attraction between said first and second element.

5. A swivel connector for joining in relatively rotatable relation two article such as fishline and a fish lure .comprising a medial magnetic .body element, a pair H of .cooperative elements constructed of magnetically attractable material, each having an inwardly opposed end in axial rotatable bearing engagement at respective opposed ends of said magnetic body element, said cooperative elements each having outwardly opposed means for attachment respectively to said articles, a casing secured to said magnetic body element and having a 4projecting portion extending .beyond each end of said magnetic body element and encompassing each of the cooperating elements in close clearanceztherewith while said cooperating elements and the body element are in rotative engagement, said magnetically attractable .cooperating elements, when under diverging tension between said articles greater than the magnetic attraction between .the cooperating elements and the body element, causing said cooperating elements to be moved outwardly of the respective ends of said magnetic body element and into rotative bearing engagement with said projecting portions respectively of each end of the casing.

References Cited in the yfile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

